Something within infinity paces inside of me, Chasing reason like a cow running precariously To free the butterfly fastened to its dry nose And squeeze it underfoot. I leap onto a rainbow To see the earth below slowly gathering momentum As it flows away, then throw myself to that sea.

Summary:

All previously published in prestigious journals, magazines, and anthologies, the twenty-seven pieces in Birds in Passage weave broad images of the Midwestern heartland and Floridian coast with intimate moments from the life of a husband, father, poet, and businessman, to form an immensely satisfying offer of Brodsky's finest early work.